Fitoor: A Junior Conceptual Project by Radhika Gupta (2015)

I am exploring the feeling of nervousness through the experience of dancing. For this project we were required to use both fine and digital art mediums. For the fine art part of this project, I used micron pens to create the background for my artwork. I used these pens to create intricate designs that resembled henna or "mehndi". For the digital part of my conceptual project, I took a photo of my model wearing bells or "ghungaroos" on her feet. I then put the image into Adobe Illustrator and used a live trace for the effect it has now.

In my image, my model is wearing a string of bells around her feet. This was to symbolize the dance part of my concept statement because these ghungaroos are used in various types of Indian classical dances. Though the bells individually do not weigh a lot, they are significantly heavy as a whole. I chose to use the ghungaroos because they represented dance but also because their weight represented a barrier that one had to overcome. My model’s feet are planted firmly into the ground, as if something is holding them back or keeping them down. The ghungaroos are around the models feet to symbolize that her only real barrier is herself, nothing else is holding her back. For my background, I tried to replicate mehndi designs. Mehndi is a lot more than just a simple adornment in India. In Indian weddings, the bride gets elaborate mehndi typically on both her hands and feet. This is because mehndi represents fertility in India. I chose to use mehndi designs for their visual appeal but also because of what they symbolized. In the context of my concept statement, fertility can be adapted to mean opportunities and the start of something great. I also used blue for my background because when I think of anxiety or uneasiness the image that comes to mind is tumultuous waves and therefore various shades of blue.